Forgiven and Set Free

Linda Cochrane

Description

No matter what influences a woman to end a pregnancy, the physical, psychological, and spiritual side effects are real and not always anticipated. Feelings of guilt, shame, and grief become a heavy burden, and many women feel that they will never be free, that no one understands, that God will never forgive them. But there is hope. Linda Cochrane has been there. With an understanding spirit and a gentle hand, she guides hurting women to bring their emotional scars "out of the dark past and into his holy light" where true and lasting healing can take place. Cochrane delves into the Scriptures to offer help with issues such as relief, denial, anger, forgiveness, depression, letting go, and acceptance.For every woman yearning for the peace of God's forgiveness, this study can be the first step to healing and wholeness.

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 06 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493439294
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Half Title Page
Other Books by Linda Cochrane
The Path to Sexual Healing
Healing a Father’s Heart
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 1986, 1991, 1996, 2015, 2022 by Care Net
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-3929-4
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations labeled TLB are from The Living Bible, copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
This publication is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed. Readers should consult their personal health professionals before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it. The author and publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained in this book.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Epigraph
What a wonderful God we have—he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us.
2 Corinthians 1:3–4 TLB
Contents
Cover
Half Title Page 1
Other Books by Linda Cochrane 2
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Epigraph 5
Preface 9
Introduction: A Message from Linda 11
How to Use This Book 13
Acknowledgments 17
1. How Do I Know Where I Need Healing? 19
2. The Character of God 29
3. Relief and Denial 45
4. Anger 63
5. Depression 77
6. The Need to Forgive 93
7. Steps to Freedom 105
8. Child of My Heart 117
9. Acceptance 123
Looking Forward 133
Notes 135
About the Author 137
Back Ads 139
Back Cover 142
Preface
God bless you on your journey of hope and healing in Jesus’s name.
Linda Cochrane
F orgiven and Set Free was first published in 1986, a little more than a decade after Roe vs. Wade made abortion legal in the United States. Linda knew from her own abortion experience that what was heralded as a “win” for women’s empowerment was really a lie with lifelong consequences.
If abortion is part of your story and you are dealing with feelings of guilt and shame, this book is for you. If you are suffering from an internal ache and sadness that you can’t name, this book is for you. If you don’t feel like anyone will understand the conflict you feel between relief and regret over having chosen abortion, this book is for you.
Maybe you are a Christian, maybe you’re not.
Maybe you had an abortion last week, maybe you had one twenty years ago.
Either way, your pain and your questions are real, and you are worthy of healing. Maybe you picked up this book because you’re searching for something, just like Linda was. Just like the thousands of other women who’ve picked up this book over the years.
Linda’s search for healing led her to the foot of the cross and, as a fairly new Christian, she birthed this study out of her own pain. Because of her deep desire to understand who God is and how he viewed her in light of her choice to abort her child, she sought answers in Scripture.
This Bible study is the result of her search.
If you’re searching for relief from a nebulous pain you can’t quite name, join us on this journey. We’ll walk with you.
Jill Marquis, Director of Abortion Recovery and Care at Care Net
Introduction
A Message from Linda
T his Bible study is the result of a personal desire to see women freed from the bondage of guilt and grief that follows an abortion. I realize there are women who seemingly have no regrets and who have no apparent signs of physical or psychological side effects after choosing abortion. Not all women are affected in the same manner. This Bible study was prepared for women who have experienced some degree of remorse or regret for their abortion decision. Having worked in pregnancy care ministry since 1984, I have seen women healed from guilt, shame, grief, and unforgiveness. It has been an honor to watch God slowly and gently heal those who have been suffering for many years. I hope you will join this group of courageous women who have chosen to face the pain of their past.
A woman who hurts after an abortion is not always understood. The intensity of her emotional reaction may be a shock to her as well as to those from whom she seeks counsel. They might ask, “How does something that is a woman’s right hurt so much?” Often this emotional response is due to her grieving the loss of her child, and this grief is an appropriate response, even if she doesn’t recognize it as grief.
The circumstances that lead a woman to choose abortion are not indicative of the intensity of her emotional reactions. Women who choose abortion for what they consider all the right reasons at the time are not exempt from mourning the loss of their child. Women who have had an abortion for medical reasons—faced with the unthinkable choice of their life or the child’s—grieve just as intensely as women who choose abortion with little forethought or counsel. The scars of abortion are often so deep that women may have difficulty sharing their pain with others. Pre-abortion counseling often does not adequately inform them about the possibility of intense emotional reactions, so some women isolate themselves from others, thinking there is something wrong with them for not coping well with their emotions.
Abortion was taken out of the back alley medically when it was made legal in 1973. Spiritually speaking, abortion is still in the back alley. It is a decision surrounded by secrecy and shame. Many women suffer a spiritual crisis following abortion.
This Bible study is a tool for women who want to turn to their relationship with God for hope and healing, after the intensity of such an event, whether it happened recently or long ago. It was not written from a distance, guessing at what God wants to say to women who have had an abortion; rather, it is what God said to comfort and restore me as I brought my own personal experiences with abortion out of the dark past and into his holy light. As I sat for many hours with my paper, my pen, and my pain, I called out to God, and he answered me. He delivered me from all my fears. As I read my Bible, he was faithful to touch my open wounds with the healing balm of his promises. He promised to turn my wailing into dancing, and he has. He promised that if my weeping endured for the night, joy would come in the morning, and it has.
It is my prayer that this book will guide you to this same place, where you will find the peace of God’s forgiveness and the freedom of forgiving others. I pray that you do not run from the chance to experience God’s care but grasp his promises with both hands.
How to Use This Book
I t took a great deal of courage to pick up this book.
I get it.
If you’re like me, you’re in no big rush to announce the fact that you’ve had an abortion. In fact, you’d just as soon pretend it never happened. But something inside you won’t let it go—can’t let it go. So here we are. Together.
I want you to know you’re not alone. There are thousands of women just like us—tired of hurting and hiding, ready to do something about the pain but unsure what to do.
This book can be the first step in your healing process. It is designed to be a Bible study, but if you don’t identify as a Christian, please don’t put this book down. I would ask that you take the time to look deeper and see for yourself what God’s Word has to say to you about your abortion decision and how God views you. It might not be what you think, and it just might change your life.
While you absolutely can work through this book on your own, I highly recommend you do it in community. Here’s why: we have a basic need for belonging, we need to know we are not alone in our struggle, we need strong Christians who can answer our questions and provide spiritual guidance to help guide us on this journey, and we need the accountability for doing the work.
Before you embark on this journey solo, consider looking to one or more of the following places to join a group. First, check with a local church. If you attend a church, contact its community care or counseling ministry or women’s ministry to see if they have an abortion recovery program. If you aren’t comfortable going to your own church, or you don’t regularly attend a church, check the websites of churches near you. Or contact your local pregnancy center. If you need help finding one, the Care Net website (care-net.org) offers a list of affiliate pregnancy centers and the services they provide.
As you work through this guide, you will find space provided for writing answers to the questions. It would be a good idea to keep a notebook handy as well. You may want to jot down thoughts, insights, and prayers that come to you as you go through the study.
If you are using this guide in a group setting, the assigned chapter should be completed by all members of the group before each group session. The section at the end of each chapter can be used to guide the group discussion. The gro